STAFF at The Church Inn in Mobberley are raising their glasses after the village pub was named the best in the UK.

The popular inn won the top accolade at last night’s National Pub and Bar Awards.

The Church Inn is a traditional 18th century country inn opposite the 12th century St Wilfrid’s Church in Mobberley.

The venue, which was praised for its flawless attention to detail across its drinks, food, service and design, has reclaimed the number one spot after being named best in the UK back in 2016.

To add to the success Church Inn head chef Richard Williams won Pub Chef of the Year. 

The Church Inn was also one of 15 pubs to be named as the best in its region, as 94 county-winning venues gathered at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly to celebrate the finest venues in the industry.

Knutsford Guardian:

Celebrating and championing the UK pub and bar market, the theatre-style event was hosted by restaurant critic Jay Rayner.

“We’re completely thrilled,” says Simon Umpleby, general manager of The Church Inn.

“We saw a massive spike in sales after we won this award in 2016. It was huge.

“The level of trade rocketed massively, and it certainly boosted our recognition across the profession. Now we’ve done it again!

“The Church Inn is all about the guest experience. If the guest is happy, then so are we. We’re now going to celebrate with a few drinks.”

There were 94 pubs and bars represented at the awards, and each one had been announced previously as the best in their county.

From these, 15 regional winners were selected and an overall National Winner was crowned.

The awards are staged by Pub and Bar magazine, are in their fourth year, and seek to champion pubs and bars from every corner of the UK.

“This unique event may be in its fourth year, but we’re continually surprised with the fantastic entries,” said Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub and Bar.

Weddings at the Church Inn take place in the award-winning private dining room or in the garden, which overlooks the Cheshire countryside.

There are two private dining rooms. The Mallory Room can entertain up to 22 seated guests and 35 standing guests, and The Chefs Library could seat eight people.